Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Archives for June 2018

2018 CHL Import Draft Results

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The CHL held its annual import draft today, where teams from across the Canadian junior leagues get to select the rights of players around the world. Often these are recently drafted prospects, or those seen to have good chances at next year’s draft. Being selected has no guarantee that the player will actually ever suit up for the team, as Filip Chytil proved last season. Chytil was selected seventh-overall by the North Bay Battalion, but ended up spending the year with the New York Rangers and Hartford Wolf Pack after impressing in his first training camp.

There are clear benefits from picking at the top of the draft though, as the Barrie Colts found out last season. Andrei Svechnikov was the first-overall selection, and ended up scoring 40 goals in 44 games before being the second-overall pick in the NHL draft last week. This year saw Slovakian-born Maxim Cajkovic go first to the Saint John Sea Dogs after tearing up the Swedish junior leagues last season. Cajkovic is eligible for the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Teams are only allowed a certain number of import players, which leads to some passing on their selections even in the early part of the draft. Check out last year’s draft to see some familiar names.

The full results are below:

Round 1

1. Saint John – Maxim Cajkovic (RW, Slovakia)

2. Edmonton – Vladimir Alistrov (LW, Belarus)

3. Sudbury – Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (G, Finland/Buffalo Sabres)

4. Shawinigan – Valentin Nussbaumer (C, Switzerland)

5. Prince George – Matej Toman (LW, Czech Republic)

Read more

Detroit Red Wings Still Talking To Mike Green

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Detroit Red Wings weren’t able to trade the expiring contract of defenseman Mike Green at the deadline given his injury concerns, but now might not be losing him for nothing in free agency after all. Ansar Khan of MLive.com reports that the Red Wings are in talks with Green and believe they can sign him to a two-year contract. Detroit obviously could ink Green to a deal before Sunday since he’s still under their control, though there was expected to be plenty of interest in him on the open market as one of the better puck-moving defensemen available. Green is coming off a three-year, $18MM contract with the Red Wings he signed in the summer of 2015.

Now 32 years old, Green is no longer the dominant offensive weapon he once was. Scoring 31 goals in just 68 games during the 2008-09 season, and followed it up with a 76-point campaign, he finished second in Norris Trophy voting in consecutive years. That incredible powerplay weapon may be gone, but Green can still contribute with the man advantage and be an effective puck-moving option at even-strength. He’s not as weak defensively as some may believe, and doesn’t require extremely sheltered minutes like other offensive-minded players—though he would likely excel if given them.

The Red Wings, who recently bought out Xavier Ouellet and traded Robbie Russo, need someone to play defense for them even if some of their younger players are ready to take the next step. Niklas Kronwall, Trevor Daley and Jonathan Ericsson are all on the last legs of their careers and bring long injury histories, while Danny DeKeyser isn’t as effective as he once was. Re-signing Green would also keep an asset in the organization that could be valuable at the trade deadline, a strategy that could pay dividends if he’s not injured this time and doesn’t demand a no-movement clause.

Green should have enough leverage for a fairly expensive contract, but the Red Wings have plenty of cap space to fit him in. Sitting more than $20MM under the ceiling, Detroit could be quite creative with free agents this summer. Andreas Athanasiou, Dylan Larkin and Anthony Mantha all need new deals, but for a rebuilding squad that just had one of the best drafts in the league, signing veteran names to short-term deals that could be moved at the deadline is a solid plan.

Rick Nash Still Uncertain About Returning Next Season

at CDT | by 8 Comments

One of the most surprising revelations of the last few weeks was a report that veteran winger Rick Nash had considered retirement after suffering another concussion late in the season with the Boston Bruins. That idea seemed to be fading as we heard reports of the Columbus Blue Jackets and other teams reaching out to Nash in the free agent interview period, but now Darren Dreger of TSN reports that the 34-year old forward has informed teams he will not sign on July 1st. Nash is still considering whether to play next season, and “didn’t want to further interfere” with the plans of teams looking to improve through free agency.

It’s a classy move by Nash to not make teams wait on him, but it still could throw a wrench into the offseason for some. Should Nash decide that he wants to continue—and all fans of the sport should hope that he remains healthy enough to do so—down the line, there may be little cap room available from some of his biggest suitors. He’s obviously resigned to the fact that he may be weakening his negotiation power by pushing off a decision, but one has to wonder whether he’ll be a late-summer addition to a playoff team. Like acquiring a player at the deadline, it could be a big boost to a team that has lost someone to injury during training camp or has seen a rival load up with key free agents.

Nash recorded the 13th 20-goal season of his career in 2017-18, registering 21 goals in 71 games split between the Bruins and New York Rangers. Though he’s obviously not the dominant offensive player of his youth, he can still skate well enough to contribute at both ends of the ice and remains an effective penalty killer. The fact that he struggled in the playoffs for the Bruins could be due to health concerns, but even then he was still a positive possession player for the team.

If it is the end of Nash’s career, he’ll go down as one of the better talents of his generation. In 1,060 games he recorded 437 goals and 805 points, won a Rocket Richard trophy for the first of three 40-goal seasons, and three times received Selke votes as one of the league’s best defensive forwards. Selected first-overall by Columbus in 2002, he didn’t see the second round of the playoffs until coming to New York, and was never able to lift the Stanley Cup.

Detroit Red Wings Closing In On Jonathan Bernier

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Detroit Red Wings have quite a bit of uncertainty in net going forward, with Jimmy Howard signed for just a single season and Jared Coreau leaving the organization as a Group VI unrestricted free agent. Because of that, both Craig Custance (subscription required) and Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic have heard a connection to free agent goaltender Jonathan Bernier. LeBrun goes as far as stating that Bernier is “likely” going to sign in Detroit, while Custance believes he could get a three-year deal to provide some stability in goal for the team.

Detroit traded away Petr Mrazek last season after he failed to live up to their lofty expectations, and were left with a 34-year old Howard as their only real NHL option. Though he certainly played well enough to remain with the team, there isn’t a succession plan in place any longer and the team knows they need to find an answer on the market, be that through trade or free agency. Bernier, 29, played some very good hockey for the Colorado Avalanche, going 19-13-3 with a .913 save percentage as they dealt with injuries to Semyon Varlamov. That situates him as one of the better goaltending options on the market, and one that could easily slide into a tandem with Howard next season.

Bernier has long been considered a starting-caliber goalie, though struggled at times in that role in Toronto. One of the league’s smallest netminders, he was an outstanding backup to Jonathan Quick in Los Angeles and has shown an ability to steal games at times with his quick reflexes and solid glove hand. Colorado could have retained him as a complement to Varlamov, but instead went out and acquired Philipp Grubauer to give them a potential long-term option.

Devante Smith-Pelly Returning To Washington Capitals

at CDT | by 3 Comments

Thursday: The team has officially announced the contract. One year worth $1MM for Smith-Pelly.

Wednesday: Among those players who did not receive qualifying offers on Monday, one name conspicuously stuck out among all the rest. Devante Smith-Pelly, fresh off playing a huge role for the Washington Capitals en route to their first Stanley Cup in franchise history, was without a contract and set to hit the open market. Now, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic tweets that the veteran forward has turned down two other offers to remain with the Capitals, and has agreed to return on a one-year deal. Kevin Weeks of NHL Network and Bob McKenzie of TSN both report that the deal will be worth $1MM.

Smith-Pelly, 26, scored just seven goals and 16 points for the Capitals this season. He was a workhorse in the bottom of the lineup, but didn’t have much of an offensive impact. That all changed as soon as the postseason started, as Smith-Pelly posted another seven goals in 24 games including two game-winning tallies. He was a physical force recording 78 hits, and was a big part of bringing home the Stanley Cup.

Though he may not offer that kind of offense in the regular season, you can bet that Washington fans are happy to see Smith-Pelly reunited with the team. The Capitals need cheap contributions from their bottom-six now that they’re paying huge dollars to several players, and he’s at the very least proven he can be relied upon in big situations. The deal comes with very little risk for Washington too, as a $1MM salary can be completely buried in the minor leagues if necessary.

Offseason Keys: Winnipeg Jets

at CDT | by 1 Comment

The offseason is now in full swing with the draft now complete and free agency on the horizon.  What storylines lie ahead around the league in the weeks to come?  Our Offseason Keys series continues with a look at the Winnipeg Jets.

The Jets had quite the turnaround in 2017-18.  After missing the postseason the year before, everything started to come together nicely which pushed them back towards the playoff picture.  GM Kevin Cheveldayoff then added center Paul Stastny at the deadline to make a run.  They did just that as they made it all the way to the Western Conference Final before being ousted by Vegas.  Don’t expect them to be too active on the free agent market, however, as the keys to their offseason all pertain to dealing with their current roster.

Extension Talks

There aren’t many teams that have more prominent players than Winnipeg does when it comes to signing early extensions.  The Jets have no fewer than three core forwards that will be entering the final year of their contracts on July 1st and it’s reasonable to think that the team is going to want to have some talks with all three to at the very least get a sense of how much they need to set aside in the budget moving forward.  (And this doesn’t even factor in defenseman Tyler Myers, who also is set to enter the final year of his deal.)

Winger Blake Wheeler is the lone unrestricted free agent of the three and is going to have quite the leverage to work with.  He led the team in points this past season with 91, good for ninth overall in the league while his 68 assists tied for the league lead.  He has logged heavy minutes on their top line for years now and he’s also their captain.  Put that all together and Wheeler is a player that will be one of the most sought-after wingers if he makes it to the open market next summer.  He’ll be 33 when that contract begins so a max-term deal is unlikely but five or six years at a rate considerably higher than his current $5.6MM cap hit is likely.

Fellow winger Kyle Connor didn’t see a lot of NHL time in his rookie year but became a key contributor pretty quickly in his sophomore campaign as he posted 31 goals and 26 assists in 76 games.  If the team believes this is a sign of things to come, they may want to act now…at least in theory.  Depending on what happens with some of their other pending free agents, Winnipeg may be forced to hand him a bridge deal to free up some extra cap room for 2019-20.  If that is indeed the case, that could wind up deferring any substantial talks as it’s quite rare for a player to sign a bridge contract a year earlier than they need to.

Then there’s winger Patrik Laine.  The second overall pick in 2016 has lived up to his billing and has already become one of the elite snipers in the league.  After Buffalo’s Jack Eichel landed a $10MM AAV on an early extension last offseason, it’s safe to assume that his deal will be used for a benchmark.  While Eichel plays the more premium position, the salary cap is higher now than it was a year ago so those two factors will largely offset.  Is that a contract that the Jets are comfortable handing out after just 172 career games (regular season and playoffs combined)?  Whether they do it now or a year from now, his salary is going to jump tenfold.

Determine Trouba’s Future

Two years ago, it looked like defenseman Jacob Trouba was on the outs in Winnipeg.  Unhappy with being asked to play on the left side and seemingly unable to come to terms on a contract following the expiration of his entry-level deal, he asked for a trade.  Eventually, the two sides agreed on a two-year bridge deal which expires on Saturday so a new deal needs to be worked out.

Trouba has arbitration eligibility this time around so unless he opts not to file and the team elects not to take him to a hearing, it can be said at the very least that there won’t be a holdout that lasts into the season this time around.

That said, this could still be a tricky negotiation.  His platform season saw him miss 27 games due to injury while his ice time was cut by more than three minutes a night.  Given his play the year before, Trouba is going to be looking to be paid as a number two or three defender but the logjam on the right side still exists.  Myers still has a year left on his deal while Dustin Byfuglien is locked up through 2020-21.  If they don’t want to shift one to the left on a full-time basis, then they’re going to be paying big money to a third pairing defender.  Given what they’re up against contractually already this summer (goalie Connor Hellebuyck is a key player to re-up as well), that’s going to be tough.

A long-term deal is certainly the preferred way to go here for either side.  If they can lock the 24-year-old up at a rate around Myers’ $5.5MM, I think both sides will be happy.  If that doesn’t get it done though, then there’s a chance that they’ll pivot back to looking to lock up Myers instead and look to trade Trouba.  His future with the Jets is certainly more stable than it was two summers ago but it’s not carved in stone just yet.

Clear Long-Term Cap Room

If you’ve been reading along and thinking to yourself that Winnipeg is going to have a tough time trying to keep this team together, you’re not the only one.  Cheveldayoff has already acknowledged that they’re going to be tight to the cap…and that’s for the 2018-19 season as they look to find a way to keep Stastny in the fold.  For the year after that, something has to give.

On the surface, forward Mathieu Perreault looks like a potential casualty.  Talk of his potential departure dates back to the Expansion Draft when it wasn’t a guarantee that he’d be protected and with the young talent in their system, his presence is rather superfluous.  He has a manageable $4.15MM cap hit through 2020-21 and would fit in nicely as a middle-six forward for a lot of teams and his positional flexibility is certainly an asset.  Moving him would yield some assets in return and free up some wiggle room.

The question becomes what to do if that’s not enough, especially looking ahead a year?  Beyond Perreault, only six other players are signed and the only other non-core piece is blueliner Dmitry Kulikov who looks to be untradeable at the moment following a rough injury-plagued first season in Winnipeg.  If they have to slash more payroll, it’s going to have to be a core piece that moves out.  They can probably get away with punting this decision for a little bit but any moves that the Jets make in the next year are going to have to be made with this situation in mind.  In the meantime, finding a new home for Perreault may very well be on the immediate to-do list for Cheveldayoff.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Snapshots: O’Reilly, Coyotes, Canucks, Kravtsov

at CDT | by 2 Comments

The Sabres are currently seeking a first-round pick, a second-rounder, and a good prospect if they are to move center Ryan O’Reilly, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports (video link).  They were seeking the third-overall selection from Montreal at the draft last week but that was a move that the Canadiens weren’t willing to make and they weren’t able to acquire an additional first-rounder to include instead.  Despite not getting a deal done, Montreal remains interested and they are willing to pay his $7.5MM signing bonus that is owed on Sunday.  Meanwhile, the Blues also are interested and LeBrun classifies them as the current frontrunner for O’Reilly’s services.  However, their preference appears to be to wait until July 2nd passes before making a deal.  However, it has been previously reported that Buffalo’s asking price will go up if that is indeed what happens.

More from around the league:

  • The Coyotes are hoping to add some wingers this summer, GM John Chayka told Arizona Sports’ Craig Morgan. If Arizona intends to use the recently-acquired Alex Galchenyuk at center, there is at the very least a void to fill to replace Max Domi.  Generally speaking, they may want to simply add some veterans on the wing as their four top scoring wingers from 2017-18 are all on their entry-level contracts.
  • Securing help at center is a priority for the Canucks this summer and the team has already reached out to representatives for Tyler Bozak and Riley Nash, reports Postmedia’s Ben Kuzma, who adds that Jay Beagle and Derek Ryan may also be of interest to the team. The retirement of Henrik Sedin has left a void inside their top six at that position and while the team certainly hopes that Elias Pettersson will one day fill that spot, their preference is to start him on the wing so a short-term stopgap solution seems like a good way to go.  However, Bozak is among the top players of the second tier of that position on the open market so there’s a good chance he’ll be seeking a lot more than just a short-term contract.
  • The Rangers plan to meet with the agent for first-round pick Vitali Kravtsov later this week to explore possible options to get the winger out of the final year of his KHL contract, notes Justin Tasch of the New York Daily News. The ninth-overall selection back on Friday has already publicly indicated that his preference is to play in North America in 2018-19 and although he’s still just 18, he would be eligible to play at the AHL level next season.

Free Agent Focus: San Jose Sharks

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Free agency is now just days from opening up and there are quite a few prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign. Here is a breakdown of San Jose’s free agent situation.

Key Restricted Free Agents: F Tomas Hertl – The 24-year-old is coming off of a nice bounce-back season that saw him set a new career high in goals (22) while equalling his best point total (46).  He also did so while spending a significant amount of time at center.  All of these will certainly help his arbitration-eligible case as he comes off of his bridge deal that saw him receive a $3.2MM qualifying offer by the deadline back on Monday.

With them getting Mikkel Boedker and his $4MM off the books, they’re widely expected to be involved in the free agent and trade market.  How they fare will likely dictate whether they go with a long-term deal for Hertl or a one-year pact to save on the cap hit a little bit.  Based on comparable contracts, a long-term pact is likely to check in around $5MM while the one-year deal would be closer to $4MM.

F Chris Tierney – Tierney’s emergence as a legitimate secondary scorer largely went under the radar in 2017-18.  After putting up a combined 43 points in the previous two seasons, the soon-to-be 24-year-old tallied 40 points (17-23-40) while doing so for not much above the league minimum.  That’s going to change this summer as he is eligible for arbitration and he’s going to have a case to push for an AAV around the $3MM range, assuming they work out a multi-year deal.  After being viewed as a depth piece, Tierney now factors in as their third line center for the foreseeable future.

Other RFAs: None

Key Unrestricted Free Agent: F Joe Thornton – 2017-18 wasn’t a great year for the veteran.  Thornton suffered a knee injury in late January that kept him out of the lineup for the remainder of the season and playoffs.  However, he was still relatively healthy as he posted a respectable 36 points in 47 games while notching his best goals per game average (0.28) since 2008-09.  He may be slowing down but he can still play a top-six role.

The expectation is that the soon-to-be 39-year-old will ultimately re-sign in San Jose.  The question is for how much his one-year deal will be.  He’s coming off an $8MM salary but with him missing so much time, he’s not going to get that high of a guarantee this time around.  Part of his next salary will be determined by what else the team does this summer but it wouldn’t be surprising if his deal is more bonus-laden this time around to hedge against further injury woes.

Other UFAs: D Dylan DeMelo, F Eric Fehr, F Jannik Hansen, F Brandon Mashinter, F Joel Ward

Projected Cap Space: The Sharks find themselves with just under $19MM to work with this summer per CapFriendly.  While re-signing their own players will take a big chunk out of that, they should have enough room left to be suitors for the top players in free agency and in the trade market.  They’re going to be heard from over the next few days.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Arizona Coyotes Sign Kevin Connauton To A Two-Year Deal

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

6:00 PM: The Coyotes have officially announced the deal.

5:22 PM: Morgan reports that the contract is worth $2.75MM over two years for an AAV of $1.375MM.  He adds that the deal is pending league approval.

4:10 PM: Despite some comments indicating he wanted to test out the free agent market and secure a bigger role somewhere else, Kevin Connauton is in “advanced discussions” with the Arizona Coyotes on a new contract according to Craig Morgan of AZ Sports. Arizona radio host John Gambadoro reports it is a two-year contract.

Connauton, 28, is scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency on Sunday and had been clear that playing time was a big factor in his decision. The left-handed defenseman put up 21 points this season in limited minutes, and has shown a knack for creating offense at even-strength. His last contract paid him an average of $1MM, something he’ll surely be looking to increase on any incoming deal.

The Coyotes have five defensemen locked in for next season, and are close to signing an extension with Niklas Hjalmarsson and Oliver Ekman-Larsson to keep them in town for a few more seasons. That doesn’t leave a whole lot of opportunity for Connauton to move up, though perhaps talks with other teams around the league left him wondering whether that chance would come anywhere at all. The Coyotes are trending in the right direction, and have plenty of cap space to make it worthwhile to bring back a valuable defenseman like Connauton, especially if they can pencil him in to the bottom pairing again.

Arizona doesn’t have unlimited funds like some other bigger market teams, meaning they have to spend carefully on players that can provide a real contribution. At the very worst, Connauton seems like a perfect candidate to be able to step up in the lineup if injuries should occur or be a valuable piece of trade bait come the deadline the next two seasons.

Pittsburgh Re-Signs Riley Sheahan To A One-Year Contract

at CDT | by 2 Comments

5:24 PM: The Penguins have indeed finalized a deal with Sheahan, announcing that he has signed a one-year, $2.1MM contract.  It checks in at a slightly higher amount than his $2.075MM qualifying offer but had he been qualified and gone to an arbitration hearing, it likely would have cost more for Pittsburgh to keep him around.

2:04 PM: Though he wasn’t qualified earlier this week, Riley Sheahan is likely headed back to the Pittsburgh Penguins anyway. GM Jim Rutherford took questions after his trade of Conor Sheary earlier today, and indicated that the team was getting closer to a deal with Sheahan and would have re-signed the 26-year old center even without the added cap space. The team also admitted that their focus is on adding another defenseman before the season begins—something they have apparently done already with Jack Johnson.

The Penguins didn’t give Sheahan a qualifying offer because it would have cost them more than $2MM, and he would have gained arbitration rights. Now, though Sheahan could technically become an unrestricted free agent and sign with whoever he wants on July 1st, the team seems confident they can get a deal done at a lower cap hit. That’s important to Pittsburgh, who are pinching pennies to get everyone in under the $79.5MM ceiling.

Sheahan can be a useful player for the team, able to line up at center or wing and contribute offensively in a secondary role. Coming off his incredibly unlucky 2016-17 campaign—Sheahan took 106 shots before getting his first goal of the season in the final game, ending with just two—he bounced back to register 32 points despite being used almost exclusively in a defensive role. Sheahan received the fewest offensive zone starts of any center on the team, and was asked to kill more time shorthanded than anyone other player on a per-game basis.

Even with increased roles coming for players like Daniel Sprong and Dominik Simon, Sheahan has clear value to the Penguins. He’ll be back in the fold in some capacity, though it’s not clear where a contract would land with the former Red Wing. With the relatively thin center market you’d think that he could draw some interest from around the league, but perhaps the stability that a Cup contender like Pittsburgh brings is enough to convince him to not even test the open waters.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

scroll to top